Saint of the Clouds
by K.A. Truthsearch
Summary: Ciara Saivien appears to be your average teenage witch. Her life is warpped when a family secret and wild new powers flare uncontrolably. Will Ciara survive what lies in her future? Only she, the "Saint of the Clouds", can find out...
1. Homework and Hailstones

The raindrops sounded like hailstones as they hit the roof outside. Ciara Saivien watched the dark, wet window with gloom and sighed. _This weather sucks_, she thought disgustedly. She shrugged and turned her head back down to her homework. Summer homework was always the longest of the whole year, but her teachers had never assigned anything to this magnitude before. The list of assignments and requirements took up half of the parchment.

**Summer Assignments**

Potions: Essay on the Composition of Anti-Venoms. (No less that two and half feet)

Transfiguration: Report: "Anamagi of the 20th Century". (No less than 3 feet of parchment

History of Magic: Short Essay on the Positive Effects of the Troll Rebellions of the 17th century

Arithmancy: Compile an analysis of the Grammatic and Numerogical Significance in your Family Tree

DADA: Research paper on the dark creature of your choice. (2 feet of parchment maximum)

Charms: Review years first through fourth year spells and copy down 5 spells from the _Standard Book of Spells Grade 5_ write what they do and why you want to learn them.

Muggle Studies: A short essay on "Why Muggles Need Electricity" (no less than 1 and half SHEETS of parchment

Herbology: Research a magical plant of your choice and from your findings draw a detailed diagram and a short description of its location, climate etc.

Astronomy: Observe the summer skies for familiar constellations. Choose three clear nights to record the stars on a chart. Name the constellations you recognize

Ciara and the rest of the soon-to-be-5th year Slytherins thought that all of this was totally unfair, but all of their teachers reminded them that it was O.W.L. year and they were just preparing you for when you should expect.

Ciara hadn't even gotten to school yet and she was already swamped. London Sorvez, one of Ciara's friends and the newly-chosen Slytherin prefect, had sent her a letter with most of the assignments written down because Ciara had been too lazy to do them herself before the holidays. Much to Ciara's displeasure, London had found Ciara's horror amusing. London said she was done with most of it. Ciara, though knowing the Underage Magic Restrictions and not to mention the fact London was a good friend, Ciara seriously considered sending London an envelope full of itching powder; a thought which she promptly abandoned when she accidentally spilled the bottle of powder all over her bed clothes. She resorted instead to sending London a letter full of curse words. London didn't mind, Ciara had a nasty habit of cursing too much, and she didn't send a response.

Another friend of Ciara's sent her the Arithmancy homework. Lukas Kaine was the reputation bad-boy. It was really only his outward appearance that made him seem that way, most kids when the see a tall, muscular teenager with black spiky hair and frighteningly blue eyes, they tend to expect the worse. He was really nasty to all of the other houses except for his own, but due to his intelligence, the teachers tolerated him. He was nice to Ciara, most of the time, when he wasn't hovering over her shoulder correcting her Arithmancy answers. His lineage was strictly pure blood. His family was from Greece and he could trace his family all the way back to his 100 times great grandfather. He also had a few family members in jail for having dealt the Dark Arts once or twice. So had Ciara, but neither of them spoke about it. Most of Ciara's family had, at one point or another, practiced them. Although Lukas had acquired the Slytherin mindset that they were better then everyone else. That was partially true of course, even Ciara thought so, but she wasn't going to admit that to anyone other than her cat, Fin.

Fin was a lynx/domesticated cat mix. An accident, if you will. He was well trained, but hardly polite to anyone but Ciara. His glossy black coat and honey colored eyes made him a frightening animal to be alone with. Not for Ciara, he was almost attached to her, and when she wasn't there, he would guard her room, or bed, whichever place they were Hogwarts or home at 1229 Overland Place. Ciara had gotten used to the fact that she _had_ to come back home every summer. London had a large flat in, needless to say, London, and Ciara could have stayed there, but no, the parentals wanted her home, _I hate freaking Wicklow,_ she thought grimly as she snapped a hair band at the window above her desk. Tabby and London were probably having the time of their lives in Diagon Alley right now, but not Ciara, she was stuck in stormy Ireland with nothing to do but homework. Her parents orders, no shopping until everything is done.

Ciara, though encouraged by every family member to excel in 5th year, wasn't ready to appease them. She sighed and turned her eye back down to her homework. Her Potions essay was still and inch and half short of the minimum, D'Vine and London could help her on the train.

_Anamagi Who Changed Modern Times_, a rather large volume containing every one of the registered Anamagi of the 19th and 20th centuries complete with a large biography and achievements listed as well for each of them. She flipped the pages and found that Minerva McGonagall, her Transfiguration teacher, a whole twenty-five pages. She was impressed, her liking for McGonagall was dampened by the fact she was the Head of House for Gryffindor, but Ciara's grade in Transfiguration was proof that McGonagall was a fair teacher, and also a very good one.

Three essays, two research papers, one rather long Arithmatic calculation sheet, and two other assorted assignments later Ciara was finished. It took two and half days, but she was mostly finished except for the Astronomy assignment. It never stopped raining in Wicklow so she decided to do it later, when she was on London's roof of her penthouse. Either that or she could just copy Robert Loelle's he had been madly, passionately in love with Ciara since 1st year, and he moved to her every whim and fancy. Which worked for Ciara, she wasn't complaining.


	2. Chez London in London

Needless to say, Ciara was sick and tired of Wicklow. The rain came in droves, never stopping, just soaking. She was tired of watching it from her lone bed room window.

"Mum can't I just go to London's today?" Ciara whined to her mother, Nola, in the kitchen of their mansion. Her mother flicked her wand at the stove and Ciara could smell the Alfredo sauce that promptly stared heating up. Nola ran her slender fingers through her short auburn hair.

"Ciara, love, your dad and I don't want you to go so soon," said Nola nonchalantly, flicking her wand and dry noodles appeared out of thin air and dropped with a splash into a different pot. Ciara groaned and let her head slam on the counter with a loud _thunk_. "Mum!" she said her voice slightly muffled by the marble.

"Now dear, you can go to London's at the end of this week. Your dad and I have important business to take care of." Nola said, turning back around to the stove.

Ciara lifted her head up and narrowed her eyes at her mother. Both of her parents worked at the Ministry of Magic. They were the "Unspeakables" of the Department of Mysteries.

"Is this 'Important Business' in Wicklow?" Ciara waited. Nola acted like she didn't hear her. Ciara repeated herself. "Mother?" asked Ciara with a suspicious look on her face.

Nola dropped her wand and the wooden spoon she had been maneuvering dropped into the pot of noodles at the spoon stared to stir the boiling water by itself.

"No," Nola said shortly, "it isn't. And it is none of your concern. Your father and I have our reasons for not telling you," Nola explained as a cabinet swung open and a metal colander flew out and made its way to the sink.

Ciara pouted, her face again pressed against the cold black marble. She heard something slam above her. Her older brother, Roux's, room was directly over the kitchen. She felt the house quiver as he ran to the other side and slid down the banister only to land right next to Nola. She was looking at him with raised eyebrows.

"What?" he asked, not quite so innocently. He stuffed a sugar cookie from a plate on the counter into his mouth. Then he got his dirty cloak from the closet. He blinked a few times at Nola's frowning face.

"I wasz jus goin to play Quidditch wich duh guish!" he said thickly, spraying cookie bits all over the floor.

"And what, pray tell, was all of that noise?" Nola asked her eyebrows still rose.

"Noffink," he said, cookie crumbs fell to the floor once again.

"We shall see," she said and there was a loud _CRACK_ and she popped out of sight. Ciara and Roux exchanged looks. He shrugged and swallowed the rest of his cookie.

"It's a bit of a mess, but I really didn't do anything," said Roux his pupils getting larger, Ciara could tell he way lying; nasty Saivien trait. Ciara's dark hazel eyes helped her hide this flaw, but Roux's light brown ones just made it worse

"Right, if that's true, I'll marry Professor Snape!" she muttered and hopped off of the stool. She ignored Roux as he hummed '_Here comes the Bride'_ to her retreating back.

She heard a _CRACK_ and knew her Nola had Apparated back to the Kitchen. Ciara ignored her mother's voice which was now yelling a lot at Roux.

Back in her room, Fin had sprawled out on her bed; all two and a half feet of him. He yawned widely, got up, shook himself and scooted over. He turned his honey eyes over to her and blinked.

"What?" she asked as she went to her desk to pack up the rest of her homework. As Ciara searched her closet for notes for the past four years, she wondered what her parents could possibly be doing. She knew for a fact that they were leaking information about the Ministry to someone else, she wasn't blind. She also knew that she really didn't care. The whole Wizarding World had flown down after Fudge got the Minister position. Which he had kept, amazingly, through the 2nd Voldemort War. Ciara shook those memories from her head. The battle barely last three years but it was full of surprises, mysterious disappearances, and deaths. It had all ended shortly after Ciara's 2nd year.

Fin leaped from the bed to his pillow-bed which was close to the fireplace. Ciara exited with more than two feet of notes stacked in her arms. She packed them away carefully in her large black leather trunk with the Hogwarts Crest printed in Silver n the top and the letter 'C.S.' were printed above the lock.

In silence she packed for the next few hours. Fin changed sleeping spots three times before he found somewhere he liked. Unfortunately for Ciara, that was over her right leg. Her foot fell asleep due the 35 pound cat sleeping on her leg. She wiggled a bit, because he leg was getting uncomfortably warm under her jeans and she couldn't feel her toes anymore. Fin growled at her, but she ignored him; he knew better than to hurt her.

Soon after her last few books were pressed into her school bag, her mother called her name. Ciara ran out of the door, jumped over the railing and landed hard on the landing. Her mother shook her head.

"_Quietus!_" her mother muttered and her voice returned to its normal volume. "Love, you need to go to London's today," she said the concern in her voice was evident. Ciara obviously looked lost because Nola continued

"Your father, Roux, and I have received an urgent summons, I'll help you with your things and we can use the fire place in the den," Nola said and passed Ciara and went up the stairs to Ciara's room. _An urgent summons? What for?_ Ciara thought to herself as she slowly ascended the stairs after her mother. She went to the hall closet and fetched Fin's cage. When Ciara entered the room, Fin hissed and sputtered at the shiny, metal cage.

"_Locomotor Trunk!"_ her mother said and she walked with the hovering luggage down the stairs. Ciara scanned her room for anything she had missed. The poster of the Weird Sisters playing distracted her for a moment, but she shrugged and walked over the not-so-happy Fin.

After ten minutes of coaxing and three catnip mice and a dead rabbit later Fin was in his cage, his back to Ciara. She wasn't at all surprised, she would be mad at herself too if she was forced in a cage a week earlier than she should have been. Ciara heaved her heavy animal and her shoulder bag down the stairs to the den, a large room with a crystal chandelier and a very elegant couch set. Her mother loved to decorate.

Nola was fussing about the room attempting to find the urn of Floo powder. Nola found it under a sofa. Fin tried not to look to guilty, but it didn't work.

"Right, here, here grab your trunk. Apologize to Mindy for sending you so suddenly, and tell her I'll explain every thing later—don't worry dear I'll tell you at Christmas—I love you and your father does too, your brother doesn't want to say it out loud but he does as well and we'll all miss you while you're at school. Don't forget to write us! I'll send pictures later this year of our little adventure! Have the best time at school, study hard, and make us proud," she said and then turned back around, "Oh! Almost forgot; here is 60 Galleons from your father and I—shut your mouth dear you look like a fish— buy your self something nice! Half of that is for Hogsmede this term, you understand? We won't send anymore before Christmas," her mother said and pressed rather large bag of money into her hands. This whole speech went very fast for Ciara, she kissed her mother good bye and turned to the fire, still not believing what she had just been given. _60 Galleons?_ It was a small fortune to a 14 year old. She took a handful of powder and threw it into the fire.

With her trunk behind her and Fin in his cage in front of her, she shouted loudly and clearly, "Penthouse, Richford Building, London, England!" and immediately her fireplace disappeared and she was spinning madly through all of the other fire places. She soon felt hard stone underneath her and she looked up to see that she was in the spotless kitchen of Mindy Sorvez, London's mother.

"Hello, Ciara! Lovely to see you back here!" Mrs. Sorvez said, she smiled and leaned in from the other room. Ciara caught her breath, stood up, and dusted the ashes off of herself.

"Hey stranger! Long time no see!" Ciara looked up to see the wavy blond hair and round blue eyes of London Sorvez staring at her.


	3. It Always Rains in Knockturn Alley

Ciara smiled at London and looked to see if everything had made it. Fin was in one piece, but he hated the Floo. She tried to pet him by he yowled and started to 'kill' one of the catnip nice, _How cute!_ Thought Ciara sarcastically as she turned her trunk up right and rusted the ashes off the leather. London went to the sink and got a rag and then tossed it to Ciara. Ciara caught it and began to properly dust off all of the ashes.

"Yeah, No joke," said Ciara in response to London's remark earlier, "Mum was acting really funny when I left though. I am glad to be away from Wicklow, though. As she glanced over and London and shrugged.

"Parents are always doing that," she said in her smooth and perfect British accent, "never fail to make promises they don't plan on keeping," said London as she took two bottles of Butterbeer from under the counter.

"Thanks," Ciara said as London handed her a bottle, she took a long draught, "My mother _hates_ Butterbeer, so she never keeps it around,"

"London shrugged again and same to sit on Ciara's trunk, "You can let Fin out, you know, Kadea wouldn't mind someone to play with and besides, she's missed Fin since June," London said, jabbing a thumb in the direction of Fin's cage.

Ciara nodded and took the two latches off of the bars and let the cat out. He slinked across the kitchen and though the door to the living room. London's Siamese cat, Kadea was watching from the leather couch, her almond shaped eyes, unblinking, watching Fin walk across the room. She stiffened in the Cleopatra position swishing her tail back and forth; suddenly, she pounced on top of Fin. Ciara and London didn't give the two felines a second glance.

"Hey let's go get school stuff! I got both of our letters this morning, I didn't know why and I was going to send it to you, but you dropped into my fireplace. Tabby also told me in her last letter that she, Ari and D'Vine would be there sometime this week possibly today," London said excitedly and ran her long, bony fingers through her perfect, blond hair. She got up off of the trunk and grabbed a handle, obviously waiting for Ciara to do the same.

"Brilliant, I can changed out of the ashy clothes and then we can go," she said and gabbed the other end of the trunk and heaved into the room besides London's. Which Mrs. Sorvez affectionately called, 'Ciara's Room', because Ciara lived there most of the summer. Ciara changed into cleaner, but more frayed jeans and emerald green Tee with the words "Leave Me Alone" printed on them in silver followed by her Quidditch hooded sweatshirt with the Wicklow Warriors logo and in the team colors, gold and jade green. And her high-tops, Muggle shoes Ciara was rather fond of.

Ciara left the room only to see London in her room. London was perfect, her family, her house, her grades, everything in London's life seemed to revolve around perfection. She had swept her wavy blonde hair into a high pony tail and let the black ribbon tail behind her. Over a black tank top she wore a brown corduroy jacket with the cuffs rolled up to her elbows. Her blue jeans with lightly sandblasted and they had no frays at he ends and her black brown clogs matched the jacket. The purse she carried was jean, almost identical to that of her pants. Ciara looked at her self in the mirror, _Old jeans, hoodie, high-tops, chunky bag, straggly hair,_ thought Ciara grimly to herself as she watched London sweep black eyeliner on before join Ciara in the hallway.

"What?" she asked with a puzzled look. Ciara gave a Gallic shrug and followed London as she walked briskly down the long corridor.

"Mummy, Ciara and I are off to Diagon to get school stuff!" London cried to her mother at the door of their flat.

"Right honey, come back before dark!" Mindy shouted back and them from the parlor. She was cleaning; a rather large clan of doxies had made a home of the grandfather clock. Mindy Sorvez would never be caught dead with anything other than shiny cog-wheels living in her clock.

After an hour long walk to the Leaky Cauldron and few minutes remembering how to get by the brink wall in the back of the pub, they were on the bright, cobblestones of Diagon Alley. There were Hogwarts Students milling about, even though term was a good two weeks away. Parents shouted for lost children and people pressed their dirty faces to the glass of shops to examine the window displays.

London and Ciara saw fellow students they loathed. The scrawny Rachel Woods (Obnoxious Woods was better name for her), the waist-length brown haired Kem Capara (Braniac Capara), and Alex Dorelle (Dorkelle), all of the Gryffindor House. The trio made faces at Ciara and London as then walked into Madame Malkins. Ciara flicked them off. London muttered something about 'Dirty Blood'.

"Lord, you would think 'Obnoxious Woods' would _eat_ over the holiday!" London said, halfway to herself. She massaged her temples with her perfectly manicured fingers. As the pair entered they heard a bell tinkle from the back of the shop.

"I know! And Capara! Look at her hair; if it gets any longer it might eat her! I think I'll cut it off in class sometime this year. Seems kinda pointless though, she so smart she could probably grow it back later!" said Ciara, almost disappointedly.

"Ladies can I help you?" the stout Madame Malkin emerged from the back of the shop and asked the pair. She was a dumpy sort of woman with curly brown hair and a kind face. She wore a tape measure around her neck like a scarf and a pincushion hanging from her sash.

"Yes, I need new Hogwarts robes," began London, crisply," Slytherin House my badges are right here," she took five Slytherin House badges from her purse and handed them to Madame Malkin. The woman nodded and pointed in the direction of two tall stools near the dressing rooms in the back of the shop. London gracefully walked over to them and hoisted herself to a standing position on the farthest one. Madame Malkin turned to Ciara

"For you, dear?" she asked Ciara as she placed the badges in her pocket.

"I just need a new cloak for Hogwarts," Ciara replied and shrugged.

"Right, I'll just fix her up," gestured to London with a hand," and then we'll fit a cloak for you," Madame Malkin said and set off in London's direction, her high-heeled pumps making a loud thumping noise ever time they hit the old ebony floor. Ciara followed them and settled onto the other stool. She absentmindedly ripped the hem of her jeans more and thought about the coming term. Fifth year was supposed to be the most challenging of them all, she didn't know how, between Quidditch and homework she would have time to do anything else. She shook the thought of no free-time from her head as Madame Malkin finished with London.

Soon after, London and Ciara left the shop, both with and armload of parcels. Ciara attempted to stuff hers into her bag, with little luck, she hadn't thought about how large the cloak would be.

"Flourish and Blotts next?" Ciara said as they passed the book shop. She loved the book shop; she was always getting books she would never need again.

The pair continued their shopping refilling potions kits, buying new books, London had to drag Ciara away from the Firebolt V3 that had just been released in the UK (Ciara was practically crying as she was pulled from the display), a quick visit to the stationary shop to get new quills and parchment, and finally a treat of a Raspberry and Vanilla shake at Florean Fortescue's. They continued along the alley until they came to Gringotts, which marked the end of Diagon. Ciara looked to her left and into the niche that opened in to Knockturn Alley.

Ciara stopped to look down the alleyway. It was raining, but it was bright sunshine out on Diagon. Ciara came to the very edge and watched the raindrops fall from the gloomy clouds. She held her hand out and a raindrop splashed on her open palm. It was freezing cold, she wiped it on her jeans, but the cold feeling remained on her hand. She turned away from the Alley.

"Ciara! London!" both girls turned back around to the alley. The voice was obviously a girl's voice due to the high pitch of the call. "Help me!"

Ciara gave London a sideways look and Ciara watched as she let her sleeves down. London may have been perfect, but she knew when it was time to get dirty. She took the ribbon out of her hair and shrugged at Ciara. Ciara grinned and took off down the alley. She put her hood up as she ran, but she could feel the icy cold rain on her face as she sprinted. Her calf muscles started to burn the farther she went. At the end of the alley she saw the voice's owner. AJ Seine, a friend and a fellow member of the Slytherin house, was surrounded by three not-so-nice looking figures all hooded and cloaked in black silk. AJ was an attractive girl with strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes. Ciara knew perfectly well why AJ was lurking down here, her parents owned _Forbidden Texts_ _Bookstore_, and she knew that AJ had a job there.

She had just recently added the "J" to her name and insisted that everyone call her "AJ" instead of Ari with is what everyone had called her for three years, up until 4th year. London, being as stubborn as she is, still calls her "Ari", much to her distaste. Ciara, on the other hand, calls her AJ just to appease her.

"Leave. Her. Alone!" Ciara said to the three figures they turned. She noticed one sort of jump back when he saw her. Her eyes narrowed. "Now!" she said, her voice lowering to a dangerous tone. They stepped back from AJ's cowering form and began to run in the other direction. London we leaning on the wall just beyond this little scene and went to middle of Alley where the three were running to keep them from going any further.

"Where's the fire?" she asked calmly, her fists clenched at her side. She stood, her feet spread in a defensive stance, in the middle of the Alley, blocking their path. Ciara pulled one of them down the ground and ripped his hood off. Brown shaggy hair fell around his light violet colored eyes in a pretty sort of way.

"Keigan?" Ciara said in disbelief. London pulled the cloaks off of the other two revealing spiky black, blue tipped hair and platinum blond, straggly locks. "Kaine? Duran? I should have known when I saw the cloaks!" Ciara felt the black silk and turned it around to the other side. Think black fabric and a Hogwarts Crest were sewn on the right side. Ciara dropped it onto the ground and stepped on it. She watched Keigan's face as it soaked up the grimy water in the shape of Ciara's foot print; London threw the other cloaks to the ground, but didn't step on them.

"Come off it Ciara!" Keigan said as he leapt to pick it up off of the ground after she removed her foot. Keigan Rossi was her cousin on her father's side. Her aunt was his mother. He took after her mostly; his father's dark hair and eyes didn't come out in Keigan.

"What? Don't tell your mummy?" Ciara said in mocking voice. She stuck her lower lip out and made puppy dog eyes. He scowled and swept his hair into his eyes.

"Shove it, Saivien, it was just a bit of fun," Kaine retorted, his crystal eyes shining and his lips curled into a smile. Ciara had to make an effort not to blush. Kaine had been her crush from 1st year, but he wasn't going to hurt her friend; her hard look stayed and his smile dissolved and his mouth returned to his normal, tight-lipped scowl.

"Sure it was," London barged in, "but none of you had the consideration to think about who it was you were scaring," jabbing a manicured finger at AJ would stood behind Ciara, she quickly looked at the ground when she was mentioned, "a member of your own house—you're lucky we're not at Hogwarts yet, because when we are, if I had found you tormenting an other student, despite house, I would have taken House Points away," she said folding her arms. Her blond ponytail swishing at her back.

"Are you—," Kaine stopped and winced as Keigan stamped on his foot," Ow!—the new Prefect?" he asked, in utter amazement. Ciara wasn't sure if he was really amazed, or if this was just some act he was putting on.

"Yes, LUKAS," she spat at him, he winced a bit, London can be very imposing when she wants to, "all year long! Get used to it!" she sang at him, her cherry lips parting in her grin, showing her amazingly white teeth. Ciara felt a twang of jealousy; she ignored it. She saw Kaine's face, livid with silent fury. "Has Keigan not shared his news? I suppose I will tell you then, he's also your new prefect," London said; the joy at Keigan's slightly green complexion made Ciara laugh. She tried to hide it with a fit of coughing. Keigan tensed up, his fingernails digging into his palms so hard it looked as though they might start to bleed. Ciara's hand fell to her pocket in her hoodie, where her wand was hidden. Keigan came toward her and Ciara's hand was in and out of her pocket in two seconds flat. She had her wand pointed at his chest before he got any closer.

"One more step and your mother will hate me," she said and he backed off, but didn't relax. They all knew Ciara was a though girl, a Chaser on the Slytherin Quidditch team four years running. She wasn't afraid to tackle anyone and if was you she was after, there was no hiding. Keigan had more than once witnessed her magic come from her that was more powerful than come adults he had seen. Ciara's temper was part of it; whenever she got really angry or experienced any sort of strong emotion at all, she was capable of killing people, perhaps she hadn't noticed; Keigan highly doubted it.

"Shove off you guys," London said and flicked a rather large beetle off of her sleeve onto Kaine's shirt. He screeched and danced a little jig to get it off. The boys gave all three of them death stares and walked deeper into the alley way towards the residential area on the other side, Switch Lane, it was called, a popular place to show off wealth amongst the pure-bloods.

"Thanks you two," said AJ gratefully, smiling a bit, "I'll see you on the train?" she said in the same tone of voice

"Don't mention it," said Ciara, emotionless, "by the way, AJ, why does it rain over here?" Ciara asked, nonchalantly, putting her hood up again.

"It _always _rains in Knockturn Alley," she replied with a grin.


End file.
